1998 V-70 T-5 Cranks but no-start after running OK

[misha]

There is ONLY one fuel pump in this car.

Ignition switch could be the problem because you need to wiggle it in order to turn on the headlights.

Also...bad ECT or FPR can also cause the no start condition.

[reluctantmechanic]

Thanks for the reply.
Wouldn't there be pressure at the Schreader valve, if the key send power to the pump, and it runs for a second? As the car is, I turn the key to pos II, I can hear the pump run a second, then crank the starter, so, I'd think there should be pressure at the rail, regardless of the turn back of the key to get the lights to work..... The few times I've notice the problem (maybe 5 in the last 2 years) has been when I've been in traffic and the signals were not working.... (My 1997 850 GLT had the key problem, where the instrument cluster and headlights wouldn't light, once in a while, unless I turned the key to pos II, but I got used to it. I replaced the fuel pump in that car, never had a problem with it starting Also, when the car runs, it does not falter, sputter, cut out, or anything like that; it gives no indication that there is a problem, when it runs.

I'm not trying to contradict your suggestions, btw; just tying to understand.

Is the fuel line made of metal that deteriorates from the inside? Thanks again.

[misha]

If there is no pressure in fuel rail after the fuel pump is primed...then fuel pressure regulator is at fault returning all the fuel back into the tank....or leaking into it's vacuum line.

Is your FPR at fuel rail or somewhere else?

[reluctantmechanic]

Hi Misha,
Thanks for the reply. I don't know where it is located; I guess that is why I am here, asking questions. Here is a picture of the motor from a post I made a few years back : viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28487&p=426086#p426086 I suspect the FPR is at the rear near the filter (which I just had replaced). From the posts I have read, poor fuel economy is a symptom of this failure and I have been having bad mileage, so this may be problem. When I push the fuel rail schreader, I just get a dribble, maybe 1-2 ccs. Is this how it should be, or should the the fuel spray out of it, like out of a spray can? One of the videos mentioned that the pressure bleeds off.
I Think you are correct about thisdiagnosis. Last summer, I had to drill out a mild steel bolt holding the caliper close to this location. Within a day, the problem manifested itself, but had not returned until December (first post on the subject). All the vibration of the drilling and tapping (and swearing) might have affected the regulator.

[misha]

According to the picture you provided via link...it's on fuel rail.
Two pipes going by the timing belt cover...one for fuel feed...one for return from fpr.

[reluctantmechanic]

Hi,
Thanks for the help last December. The problem persisted, so I took the car to a mechanic I use occasionally. He changed the fuel filter and told me the problem was a combination of weak spark and fuel. He said that the plug wires were attacked by oil in the well of the cylinder head, under the plastic plate. Anyway, the car ran for about a week. Then, I drove it about 7 miles, went into a store for 20 minutes, and it would not start again when I came out. I had it towed back to his shop. It was about 18 degrees F that day, fwiw. He has looked at it and tells me there is plenty of fuel pressure, so I asked what could be the problem. He said there was no spark so he replaced the coil, then he described it as being some complicated part I've never heard of before. He is a great guy but I think either he can't fix it or doesn't want tofix it. I assured him I'd pay him (Since he had "fixed" it the week before, I was afraid that he might think I expected free labor for an undiagnosed problem). It doesn't make sense to me that the problem goes from weak to no spark, and it doesn't make sense that the car started and drove, then a few minutes later would not start. Is it the cam ps or crank ps? This is essentially the same problem that I had before he diagnosed the problem as fuel and weak spark. I read in this forum that someone else had an intermittent problem that eventually was diagnosed as a damaged wire harness. How common is this and where would the harness be located (if you know? Thanks again for the help.

[abscate]

I’ll guess you have a lot of marginal parts in the car , ok in sunny California but places with real climates need good parts


Spark plugs, wires , cap rotor will cost about $200 and need doing.

Measure the fuel pressure at rail, get a number , not a spritz measurement. Autozone will loan you the. Gauge.

That ignition switch needs replacing if it only works with tweaking, $50 new, half that at junkyard.

[reluctantmechanic]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply and thanks for your help. The guy who "repaired" the car, changed the plugs, wires, rotor and cap. When I took it back to him a week later, when it wouldn't start, I asked him what the problem was, after a few days of not hearing from him.. He said the car has no spark but It has fuel pressure, so after reading some of the threads here, I figured that this may be a common problem with a sensor that commonly fails. I thought someone here may recognize the symptoms.
I think he did not fix the original problem. Last summer, after annual inspection in September, I had the same problem: I ran the car from the station to a friend's house, shut it off, started it up again half-hour later, and drove home. It would not start an hour later. This happened before only twice, on very cold winter days, so I attributed the problem to water in the gas. In the winter, when I had this non starting problem I added drygas and more fuel, and the car would start right up.. So long as I added dry gas the day before a cold night, the car would start in the morning. Last summer was the first time the problem existed in warm weather, but the car started after adding dry gas. It may just be coincidence. In retrospect, I think the cold weather causes the problem to manifest itself, which progressively became worse, so that it manifests itself even in warm weather; water in the fuel is not the problem.
If the car has a worn timing belt, could this cause the problem of weak spark? Before, I had to take the car back to the mechanic, I tried to get an estimate from him to replace the belt but he seems reluctant to do this job.
I like the car and want o keep it. It is in OK exterior condition, the interior is a little beat-up, but it makes no sense for me to get a good car that I'll beat-up carrying around tools and 2x4's. Thanks again.

[abscate]

If you don’t have codes then the gas tank is sealed up, So water in the gas is ruled out. A pressure measurement on the rail will tell you if the relay or pump is failing, that’s a typical cold weather crank, no-start diagnosis.

You can also confirm with a shot if ether, or starting fluid into the snorkel when the problem comes occurs. Thst will tell you if it’s a spark problem or fuel problem

[reluctantmechanic]

Hi all. It has been awhile, and as I predicted, the mechanic did get sick of working on the car, and sort of abandoned it because he has only one lift and needs to actually make a living by fixing cars he doesn't have to push in and out of the garage bay. I understand this, so I towed the car home and a few days ago I jump started the car. It fired right up; the valve train had quite a bit of clatter but quieted down. I've been driving the car around, hoping that it will throw a code, perhaps indicating that the problems is the camshaft position sensor. I have done nothing mechanically to the car.

When I retrieved the car, the mechanic mentioned that when the car cranked over, it sounded like it had low compression; I noticed this as well, before I brought the car to him. As I drive the car around, it drives well, once started. Occasionally, when I start it, it will crank a few times longer than normal, say 5-6 seconds instead of 1-2 seconds before it fires up. When it takes longer to crank, the first 2 seconds, it sounds like it wants to fire, then for the next 2 seconds, it sounds like there is no compression or low compression, but if I keep cranking, then it will fire up but almost reluctantly. This usually happens when the car has been up to operating temperature, driven somewhere, shut off, then restarted, maybe 20 minutes later. Just to 'tempt fate," last week when it took the 7 seconds to crank and fire, but did fire up, I let the engine idle in the parking lot where I was for 10 -15 seconds, then shut off the engine, and tried re-starting it several times; it restarted, every time.

While the mechanic had the car, last winter, I would check-in with him, occasionally, to see if he was progressing with the car. He changed out the plugs, wires, rotor, cap, and coil. At that time he told me the coil was getting no signal to fire. In the original write-up to this thread, I mentioned that I thought it was low fuel pressure, but he tested it, and it is not low. The fuel pump and the the filter have been changed. Do these symptoms sound like a bad cam position sensor? Could the low compression sounding cranking be caused by the valve timing being incorrect because the CPS is giving a faulty signal? From what I have read in this forum and elsewhere, the conditions of hard start, no start, intermittent no start, can be caused by a faulty cps; also, a no signal to the coil condition can be caused by a faulty cps.

Many thanks for the help.